Do you secretly watch Rockbottum CC, the longest running webisode on the entire internet? You're not alone. If you're new here, try to follow these rules and your job will be safe: Never admit you watch, even to your most trusted associates. Don't admit actually knowing anyone from Rockbottum . . . and never, ever say anything in the comment section.
Now watch this film or I'll tell Momma.
The internet has become an ugly place over the years. Take Turf Twitter, for example. What once was a bastion of idea sharing and supporting one another has turned into a cesspool of contrarians and armchair quarterbacks.
In this episode of Trailing Thoughts, I reflect on the current state of social media as I summit Emory Peak, the highest point in Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA. Along the way I offer advice based on my own experiences on social media, encouraging positive interaction
My first encounter with invasive species on the golf course was with the Russian Thistle, a thorny, rolling, seed-spreading bush commonly called The Tumbleweed. It happened on a raggedy 9-holer out in the barren Kettleman Hills of California, miles from nowhere. I had been left alone to manage the course while Dad tried to make the cut in some tournament.
At age 13, I could run the pro shop fairly well, clean the pool and pick the range, but I was an awful bartender. I was nervous stayin
In my previous life as a sales rep, I was visiting a private club right around this time of year. I was shocked to see the superintendent still had his greens covered, when everyone else in town had removed them in mid-March.
I had to ask. “What’s with the covers?”
“I’m not ready for the season to start,” the superintendent replied.
Normally I’m not one to be lost for words, but a long silence followed. I could see the superintendent was dead serious.
“What do you mean you’re
In this sensitive and revealing episode of Rockbottum Radio, the entire crew tells it all, aided by literary inspiration from Matt Jones and Peter McCormick... and Momma's Mushroom Truth Serum.
Learn what really happened on Ludell's honeymoon and how Rockbottum plans to handle the ball rollback and Golf A.I.
Buddy returns from working on Science Interfusional National, an A.I. course, and then RW screws everything up by telling why he's been deliberately provoking the Imperials for 50
The bloodiest single day in American soil didn’t happen on 9/11 and it wasn’t at the bombing at Pearl Harbor. It occurred across a rolling piece of farmland in northern Maryland, known today as Antietam National Battlefield.
Perhaps the most iconic location at Antietam is Burnside’s Bridge. For more than three hours, General Ambrose Burnside repeatedly sent his men to attack a fortified position across a narrow bridge against a much smaller force. His stubbornness to reconsider his tactics
Lately in my quiet moments, I find myself circling back to the idea of momentum. It would appear to be both elusive and very common, with most of us not even pausing to appreciate it until it vanishes. Our culture doesn’t often reflect on the necessary elements that go into creating momentum, instead spending much of our time chasing quick fixes and expecting instant results.
My personal life has recently been an interesting paradox in momentum. On one hand something that I have worked inc
Organic matter (OM) is everywhere in the landscape. Given that OM is a key component of nutrient cycling and soil structure, it only makes sense we treat it as a valuable commodity. In any landscape OM is generated when we intervene mechanically (think mowing, pruning), when we clean the landscape (think leaf removal). OM is also utilized/handled (think mulching or soil amendment). Every time we “manage” OM we incur a cost whether financially or in ecological disruption. Added to this cost is th
Although I don't know what they're celebrating, I am grateful to those folks on the 16th hole. They, and others of their ilk, contributed mightily to the making of this film.
Years ago, I faced my team in the morning meeting and told them I was leaving to pursue another opportunity. I’d been preparing for this moment for days, but when it was finally time to tell them, the emotion of the moment took over.
Yes, my voice cracked. Yes, my chin quivered. Yes, a tear fell. I think what hit me the most were their faces. The shock and the sadness were reflected back at me in all directions.
Then came the sense that I was letting them down. It was this nagging, g
In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, learn RW's secret for living a calm and peaceful life on the golf course, regardless of the challenges we face in the years ahead.
*Note: This is not your daddy's podcast. It's more like your grandpappy's radio show from 1937.
What makes a team a winning team?
As demonstrated by the 2023–24 Detroit Lions, building a winner begins with the complete buy-in from the team’s high performers. The team’s core shares the same work ethic, attitude and goals of the organization. While this Lions team came up a little short of their goal, they remain poised to be successful for years to come as long as they remember the core strengths that got them there.
The best teams in golf course maintenance are built like a succe
What’s the pulse of your team when they walk into the break room in the morning? Are they bright-eyed and still buzzing about last night’s big game? Or do they shuffle in like zombies and sit mostly in silence, staring down at their phones?
If your morning meetings are preceded by awkward silence, or if your staff stiffens up the moment you appear, then it might be a warning sign that you’re coming up short on building a winning team culture. People who want to be there engage in conv
Planning is the linchpin to success. You may be successful with planning, but the odds are longer. In grounds management having a good plan will help the manager communicate direction to the team, help build excitement toward an outcome, alleviate problems before they arise, and build the organizational support essential to fulfilling the plan. Last blog I looked backwards in order to understand where our operation is and how we got here. This blog I look forward to 2024 and share some of the bi
Our lives, much like a river carving through a canyon, are never on a set path. If you aren’t happy with the direction your life is going, you can always change the flow of your river.
A year ago, I found myself mired in a job that I found to be morally at odds with my personal values and unfulfilling on a professional level. I traveled to Big Bend National Park in Texas, hoping to unplug from turf for a while and reflect on my career and my life path.
In Santa Elena Canyon I watched t
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. — Lao Tzu
There is a natural flow to seasons. No matter where one is situated, the shifts and changes in the natural environment follow their own patterns. Sometimes these patterns will alter and slowly evolve into something slightly different, but overall the seasonality of the natural world doesn’t change.
When viewed through our human lenses, a season can appear to exist in singularity. We say things like “the start of another s
Rockbottum CC opens the 2024 film season with "A Fireside Chat", covering golf news, weather, a couple of tips, and maybe even a controversial statement or two. Watch this to protect your brain waves.
In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, RW reveals one of the key methods behind the success of Rockbottum CC: the proper use of the New Year's Resolution.
Also, Buddy gets "tooken" and Ludell, Willy and Momma form a posse to rescue Buddy.
I've been back in Columbus, Ohio for three weeks now after finishing up my six month internship at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore, as arranged through Mike O'Keeffe and The Ohio Program. It was a great experience and I have plenty of people to thank. Watch until the end to find out where I'm off to next!
Ah, the New Year. The annually recurring time when we reflect on our previous 365 days and take stock. It is a time for looking back and grading out what we accomplished, but also what we struggled with. I get caught up in this time as much as anyone. In this blog I’ll stay in my professional realm and give, at least from my perspective, a clear-eyed assessment of where I took my work, and where my work took me. This assessment may not meet with agreement by all in my organization. It is my view
It has been difficult lately not to become a bit disenchanted with the modern game of golf and, in particular, those tasked with determining its future direction. From behind the ropes we watch as millionaires and billionaires squabble over who actually has dominion over the game, arguing about everything except the things that matter. Those in charge of tending the future of the game have become infected with greed and the notion that they know what is best for everyone else. The descent of the
In this month's Storytime, learn about the Christmas Miracle that led RW and family to leave the nomadic military life and transition to the nomadic golf life. Also, we cover a few current news items in golf and maybe some non-golf stuff.
